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Hey, I'm an English major seeking a career in Writing/Broadcasting. This fall I'll be taking classes in professional writing and wanted know what other tasks I could do to strengthen my skills and "hireability"? Thank You!

It's great to think ahead and begin building your resume now in order to be more marketable when time comes to apply for jobs. Below are a few suggestions to help increase your professional competitive edge:

1) Take time to look at current job postings and review the skills and requirements desired of candidates. Make a list of common requirements and use this list as a starting point towards enhancing your skill set and experiences.

2) Visit the Career Center at your university. The professionals there are great resources to help improve your resume, offer mock-interviews, find internship and/or full-time opportunities, and more. The best part - their help is free to students!

3) Get involved on-campus and in your community. Building your resume with student-organization involvement and volunteer work is important. It shows that you're a well-rounded individual, you know how to manage your time, you take initiative, and you are able to work well in teams. While it's a great idea to be involved in organizations that relate to your desired job field, any experience is better than none.

4) Build your network now. Ask your professors, family and friends if they have connections in your desired job field. If they do, ask if they are willing to introduce you (even if the introduction is via email). When introductions have been made, be intentional about making contact and asking these folks about their careers, for advice, etc. Be sure to build a good rapport - one of these contacts could help you land a job in the future!

I think it’s admirable that you’re being proactive in your job search. I’m confident that following the suggestions above will help you as you build upon your skills and experiences.

It’s great that you are being proactive and are thinking ahead to your future career. A task that you could potentially consider would be to research seminars and conferences that are being held in the area that you live in, in regards to Writing/Broadcasting. This could be beneficial for you to learn more about this type of work and ways to improve your skills for a job in this profession. Another way to strengthen your skills would be to look for an internship. This is one of the best ways to strengthen your skills and to learn firsthand what a job in Writing/Broadcasting would be like. Best of luck!

It is great that you have already identified your industry. Here are some suggestions to get your foot in the door or at least to interviews where you can Wow them!

If you still need elective classes search for some related course that are outside of the English department, one comes to mind: Mass Communications Department. They generally have classes related to broadcasting and journalism

If you are going to seek an internship in the future, start looking at the requirements on the job description now to add to your to-do list.

If your university has any student orgs you should look into what they are doing and if it would be a valuable resource to join and be a part of. I would also reach out to the advisor for guidance on additional resources the university or his/her network may have for.